Process and apparatus for separating and treating bituminous sands



Feb. 10, 1931. K. A. CLARK 1,791,797

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING ANDTREATING BITUMINOUS SANDS Filed May 5, 1928 INVENTOIP.- KARL ADOLF CLARK BY? v13 ATT'Ys J KLZLEtL nonr ritoonss AND AIfPAB Arns roasnrARArrNeANi krnnarrne Bahamas sm ths Patented Feb. 10; 19 3l CLARK, or EDMONTON, ALBERTA, cArrAnA', AssIe1 Taro1riiE eovnranons OF THE UN'I'YERSITY or ALBERTA, or nnMoN'romoAN nA' 1 Application fi'lealma 5, 1928. semi 'n a'ytan. I

I r This invention relates to a process and apparatus for separating and treating bituminous sands and like material nto1ts b1tum1- nous-and other constituents, one ofthe resulting products being composed almost wholly'of the bituminous constituentsof the 7 material with only a small amount of other matterand the other product being composed of the other matter in which remains only a 1o small quantity of bitumen.

There exist large deposits of native bituminous materials such for instanceas the bituminous sands in the Athabaska region of --northern Alberta,which consist oii-a mixture atuminous content of such deposits is highly of bitumen with sand, silt or clay and a commercial'process for the separation of the bidesirable.

materials witha solution of soap,--silicate of drawing apart of the bitumen from the sand,

clay or like material with which it is assoother materials by washing in hot water. S0v

ciated, and it has been proposed, 'after such treatment, to separate the bitumen from the far as I am'-aware, however, noprocess or apparatus has ever been suggested which will eiiect theseparation on a Commercial scale without'leaving in association withthe recovered bitumen a considerable quantity of the j sand, silt or clay, this considerable unseparated residue substantially lessening the value of; the separatedbituminous component of the, original material. 7 I have found'that by controlling the quantity of the reagents originally added to the material to be treated and limiting such quanfeeding the mixture of the material and the reagent solution in small quantities andwithtity to the amountnecessary to. prepare the material for sep'aratiom'and by thereafter ,agitation into the hot water bath, the iseparation-jofthe bitumen from the sand or other like material with'which it was originally as- Iuse materialsgiving an alkaline reaction on hydrolysis. Using such reof bitumen containing-lessthan2% of other matter,calculated on awater-freebasighave agents in theiprocess described--" above, l

a'commercial scale, yields ofbitumenfeontaining less than 10% of other matter on a water freebasis' have' 'been secured. j It is well known also thatthe-coagulation oi" suspended or colloidal matter in-water may be effected by the use of electrolytes I have found that this coagulating eiiec't' may also be o'btained'in the plant watjer'of abitulminoussand separation plant, whereby it" will be possible to; use theh'eate'd ava's'hing water continuously, and thus avoid'the necessity of I r obtaining a constant iresh supply. Electror -It is well lmown-that the treatment of such 20 lytes suitable for this purposeare water solu- V ble inorganic compounds of o'lyvalent met soda-,alkalies or alkaline salts will cause the als, calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide and alums beingex'amples ofthese. Ihavefound V 7 that if a sufficient concentration of such electrolytexbe maintained in theplant waterto cause silicate of soda'and silt to coagulate,- or

in other words eliect flocculationof the si'Iicate of'soda with thesilt', etc.-, these latter substances may be eliminated by settling them out and the plant water may be kept clean.

The strength ofelectrolyte which must be maintained in the'plant water to cause coagulation is lessjthan a one percent solution.

I have found that the quantity of the reagent solution employed to prepare the material forr separation of bitumen from' the fsand, silt or clayshould, in.the 'ca seoi a silicate of soda solution, be about 20% by Weight of the quantity ofthe material to'be treated. Y r

I have found that the quantity of reagent 'employedito prepare the material for separationof bitumenlfrom the'sand, silt or clay [should amount in the case of'commercial grades of liquid'silicateof soda, to between 0.06% and 0.6% of the Weight of material treatedb The silicate of soda is dissolvedin water and thoroughly mixed with :the' material being treated, the whole mixture being raised, during the mixing operation, to a temperature within; the range of from '15? ture of suitable consistency for handlingyet without causing the presence of'excess solu tion. All the solution must be completely :absorbed by the material under treatment, probably as water colloidally dispersed in the bitumen. At this stage, there has been no obvlous drawing apart of bitumen from mineral matter. I then del ver the mixture of the origlnal material and the reagent solution to the separating hot water bath in small quantlti'es, and under continuous ag1tation,preferably'by means of a stream of hot water sufficient to convey the material from the mixing Y apparatus to the hot=water bath, the streain being preferably delivered below the surface of the bath. The temperature of' the hot water bath shouldbe in the range of from 75 0. ,to 100 C Other methods. of. delivery which have the efiect: of' preventing the coalescence of the bituminous masses with the sand, silt or clay might, however, be equally effective for the purpose. a

An example of the apparatus for carrying out the process is disclosed in the accompanying drawing inwhich Figurel is a side elevation partly in section.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, A represents a heating and mixing machine into which bituminous sand is introduced by'suitable'equipment B, such as a bucket elevator and: roll crusher, and also into which some reagent, such as sillcate of soda solution,'is introduced in proper concentration and quantity, from a reservoir 10 through a pipe 11 provided with acontrol valve 12. The machine A feeds the bituminous sand prepared for separation into a pipelike arrangement 13 which dipsbelow the surface of a large body of hot water in a container 14:. There is. also fed into the pipe 13, along with the treatedmaterial, a'stream of hot water. produced by a pump 15iwith its intake connected to the lower part of the'con tainer 14, as at 16. The stream of hot water washes the-treatedbituminous sand into the hot water in the container and disperses therein the separated particles of sand, silt or clay and small masses of water-containing soda or other reagent which wouldcause the sand, silt or clay to remainpersistently suspended and would tend to forman oil-insense.

a suitable electrolyte, such as calcium chlo ride, is' introduced intothe hot water from a reservoir 21 through a pipe 22 provided with a control valve 23. The quantity introduced is so controlled as to limit it to the'amount necessary to cause the flocculation and precipitation of the silicate of soda and the sand siltor clay so that they canbereadilyeliminated and' the washing water maintained in proper condition. V i

As many changes couldbe. made inwthe above process, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention, within the scope of the claims, set forth without 'departingfrom thespirit'or scope thereof, itis intended that allImatter contained in the accompanying specification shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting hat I claim is my inventionis i 1. A process of separating bitumenfrom bituminous "sand silt or clay 'Wl11Cl1fCOI1S1StS in mixing the compound with a reagent giving an alkaline reaction on'hydrolysis, introducing the prepared mixture to a body of hot water to effect separation of the bitumen from the'sand, silt or clay,introducing a water-soluble inorganic compound of a polyvalent metalinto the-hot Water to coagulatethe reagentand the silt or clayyand recovering the bitumen from the surface of p the water.

2. A process of separating bitumen from bituminous sand, silt or clay which con sists in preparing the bituminous material for separation by mixing it with aquantity of a reagent giving an alkalinereaction on hydrolysis, just suflicient to prepare the material for separation, introducing the prepared mixture to a large body'of hot water to effect separation, introducing a suitable quantity ofa water-soluble inorganic compound of a polyvalent metal to effect coagulation of the said reagent and the silt or clay, and recovering the bitumen 'from the surface of the water.

3. A processflof separating bitume bituminous sand, silt, or clay which consists in preparing the bituminous material for separation by mixing it with a reagent giving an alkaline reactionfon hydrolysis,-in-

troducing the'mixture' to a large 'body of hot water insmall amounts at atime 'with agitation thereby separating the bitumen,

n from t introducing a water soluble inorganic compound of polyva'lent 'metal-to coagulate said reagentand the silt or clay, and recovering the bitumen from the surface-of the wash water.

4. A process of separating bitumen from bituminous sand, silt or clay which consists in preparing the bituminous material by mixing it with a reagent producingan alkaline reaction on hydrolysis, and then introducingthe mixturewith agitation toa body 7 i of hot waterto cause, simultaneously with its introduction thereinto, a dispersion of said mixture into its constituent parts. a a f, 5. In the process-of separating bitumen from bituminous sand, silt or clay after 'the bituminous: material has been mixed with a reagent giving an alkaline reaction on hy- V drolysis, thestep of conveying the-treated l material by a small stream of hot water into a a large body of washing Water. V 6. In the process according to claim the introduction of that quantity of a'watersoluble inorganic compound of a polyvalent H metal which is approximately necessary to coagulate the reagents and the silt orclay.

Ina process for separating bitumen from bituminoussand, silt or clay, in'which the bituminous material together with ireagents is introduced into a bath of hot Water,

the step which comprises adding a water soluble inorganic compound of a polyvalentmetal to thehot Water bath to coagulate the said reagents and they sand, silt or clay- 1 which, as a result of the introduction of the bituminous material; has been dispersed in the hot water. i

. In witness whereofI have hereunto set my 7 hand.

KARL ADOLF CLARK. 

